[The_Bear_Yid]

The car has come up that the Check service is due. Basically it sounds like a MOT check tbh. Light alignment, suspension, brakes etc.

Stealer wants £150 roughly with VAT.

Should I do it, leave it, or go elsewhere?

Tempted to search for the thread with the site that gives you discount on servicing.

I just feel like in paying for someone to potentially tell me if other stuff needs doing.

[davyk31]

Leave it, check your own tyres and the car will tell you if the lights have failed. Thats all they will do for your £150.

Easy to reset yourself too.

[John320d]

usual bmw rip off. my car is showing that i need a vehicle check and an mot. i queried this at the main agents and after giving them the third degree they admitted the mot by itself would be enough to satisfy the vehicles requirements.

[The_Bear_Yid]

Yeah I think this is making my mind up tbh. Just feels like an expensive MOT. Cheers.

[AWBimmer]

Just because BMW cars are everywhere doesn't mean they can quote prices out the air... this is the ONLY downfall on dealers.. you don't need to pay them to tell u what could be wrong.. you car is programmed to tell you itself anyways so no need mate :-)

[doughboy]

Hmmm. Getting it on a ramp is the essential bit IMO.

The MOT is not the vehicle check, they only check for specific generic issues. Vice versa they don't check for MOT issues on a vehicle check, its

Dealers are a rip off. I had the check done at an indy with an oil change. I think they charged about 25 quid or something, half an hour anyway. Full external underneath and engine bay, full ODB system check and fault check, grease and clean up door and boot hinges, fill up fluids etc.

They found a failing front damper top bearing, a bent front anti roll bar drop link and two under tray screws missing, all of which would have passed an MOT, but I got them all fixed.

All good in my book as this is the only looking over the cars get these days, the other services are so basic.

[The_Bear_Yid]

AW - I agree mate.

dough - That's a good point. Mine has a BMW warranty, they'd be able to honour/use that, right?

[NavG]

ive got my oil, brake and vehicle check coming up and have the car booked in next saturday with BMW. Surely if i'm to maintain my full bmw service history i have no choice but to get this work done by them? Or can i just tell em don't do the vehicle check and then just manually recent the menu item?

[Kerr]

When I had my service done the vehicle check was part of it.

£19 if I remember correctly.

[The_Bear_Yid]

Wow really? I'm going to at least call around.

[doughboy]

Originally Posted by AWBimmer

. you don't need to pay them to tell u what could be wrong.. you car is programmed to tell you itself anyways so no need mate :-)

This is a lethal misconception and all too common by todays motorist. You are responsible for the car and either you check it yourself, or you pay someone to do it for you, simple. If you want BMW stamps, then you have to pay BMW to do it.

The only bits that are monitored by the car itself are electronic things connected to the ECU, i.e. a small minority of the overall car, and very little in terms of its mechanical integrity.

The vast majority of mechanical critical components, i.e. brakes, suspension, steering and rack, critical linkages, engine mountings, tyres, fuel system, brakes lines, transmission, under body mountings etc are all still completely un checked and WILL ONLY be checked at the Vehicle Check.

The 'check' is just a visual check to check all the bits the car can't check itself!!

All the items found on my check would never have been reported by the ECU (obviously) otherwise it would have gone in sooner.

Any decent 'traditional' garage (i.e. not a franchised flashy dealership) would do it anyway out of common sense, for exampe while the oil is draining they have a good look round, its just that BMW have reduced the oil changes etc to just that only, no time is given for anything else, this means the 'normal' checking needs to now be a specific item.

[wallsmk2]

£150 for less than an hours work/poking about? Of course it's not worth it! An MOT would cost a 1/3 of that and be more thorough. Take it to a local garage with planet earth prices if you're concerned.

[doughboy]

Originally Posted by The_Bear_Yid

AW - I agree mate.

dough - That's a good point. Mine has a BMW warranty, they'd be able to honour/use that, right?

The indy can't do factory warranty claims, you'd have to go into a dealer for that.

An indy could handle the 2 year warranty for you on spare parts that all BMW parts have, for example failure of parts fitted since new, but not factory claims.

But my bent linkage wouldn't have been covered anyway and the failed damper was a Birds B3.5 kit damper so they wouldn't have been too keen on that either!

[davyk31]

If a car isn't old enough for an MOT then all the major components will be just fine and after that an MOT will find anything dangerous. I think Doughboy you have been reading the service manual too much, speak to any BMW mechanic and find out what the vehicle check REALLY entails.

[doughboy]

Originally Posted by davyk31

If a car isn't old enough for an MOT then all the major components will be just fine and after that an MOT will find anything dangerous. I think Doughboy you have been reading the service manual too much, speak to any BMW mechanic and find out what the vehicle check REALLY entails.

I've never read it!

I would think the BMW dealer check involves the technician having a ciggy out the back then ticking a box.

I agree, the 'check' is a quick wip round only, I got the indy to do it with an oil service and I watched them spend 20 minutes going all over the car with torque wrenches and inspection torches, tightening subframes, suspension pivots and other items, but its the only 'check' that the car ever gets.

An MOT would not have failed for the bent ARB linkage, the knocking damper or the missing under tray screws, and they don't do tightness checks either, so to me it was £35 well spent and I got the stamp, its only once every 2 years.

And they won't fix anyting on an MOT, if something needs adjusting or fixing they'll just fail you and you have to get it sorted and bring it back, what a waste of time! If a cheap inspection gets issues solved, then the MOT is just a formality.

[The_Bear_Yid]

Just checked main dealer discount and their closest dealer is 140 miles away. There is a saving on the service but after traveling there won't be one lol.

[greatbm]

My BMW dealer carried out vehicle check free of charge when conducting MOT test.

[Number8]

Doughboy you're wrong about indies not being able to carry out BMW warranty repairs. Recent changes to warranty rules allows any vat registered garage using BMW parts. See other threads on forum.

David

[mob17]

£150?!! Wow, my local indy did it for £25 as well.

[The_Bear_Yid]

Yeah I think I'm going to cancel in the morning. I had just thought fuck it, I'll do go through with it. But with people saying they got it thrown in free or for £25 I really feel I'm getting done over.

Are all you guys saying you got it for free, are you definitely sure you got the 'Check' service?

As Main Dealer discount site was saying that most dealers prices were at £120-150 iirc. I can't believe they would throw something in for free that they can charge that much for.

I can maybe see them doing it with the MOT.

Also I'm guessing that the £120 before VAT is for 2 hours labour.